Aerial delivery device



Nov. s, 1927. 1,648,759

J. B. DAvls AERIAL DELIVERY DEVICE Filed dan: 7.1927 v2 sheets-sheet 1 ATTORN EY Nov. s, 1927. r1,648,759

J. B. DAVIS l AERIAL DELIVERY DEVICE Filed Jan'. '7. 19.27 2Shoets-Sheot 2 Patented Nov. 18, 1927.

JOSEPH BROWN DAVIS,v 0F DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA.

AERIAL DELIVERY DEVICE. Y

Application led January 7, 1927. Serial No. 159,697.

This invention relates to aerial delivery apparatus and its primary object is to provide a simple and efficient apparatus whereby mail as well as other articles can be transferred from the ground to airplanes or the like thereby overcoming the necessity oi the airplane landing for that purpose.

A further "object of the invention isl to provide an aerial delivery apparatus that contains very few parts, is inexpensive to manufacture and will erform its intended function for an indefinite period of time.

This invention also consists in certain other features of construction and inthe combination and arrangement of the several parts, to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specifically pointed out in the appended claim.

In describing my invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and 1n which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus forming the subject matter of the present invention and showing the airplane about to receive a bag therefrom.

Figure 2 is a top plan view thereof.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view showing the clamping member and the adjacent ends of the guide rails in section. l

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the ad. jacent ends of the guide rails.

Figure 5 is a similar View of the clamping member per se.

`igure 6 1s a detail view of the cable weight.

Referring to the drawings in detail the reference numeral l indicates the guide rails for theapparatus and as best shown 1n Figure 2 in the drawings these rails have Outwardly ared portions 2 and parallel portions 3 extending in close proximity. The ends of the flared portions are arranged on the ground or other supporting means and fixed thereto through the medium of bracket members 4f.- The remaining portions of the rails are elevated and supported in said elevated position by braces, two pair of which'v bases 6. The remaining or forward brace as shown is indicated lby the reference numeral 5 and will be later described. A

grating is arranged to underlie the braces [langes 6 have their rear portions curvedl outwardly to provide guidin surfaces which meige into the arms as. est shown in Figures 3 and l of the drawings. The front end of the yianges terminate with the free ends of the arms and provide channels 7l arranged in confronting.relation to coperate for frictionally receiving a substantially U-shaped clamping member 8 4having a circular bight portion and parallel arms 9 and 10. The forward pair of braces 5 is constructed to allow pivotal movement of the arms 5 and includes slotted angle sections 7 having their upper ends secured to the arms 5 adjacent their free ends as best shown in Figure 4 of the drawin s and these sections 7 are mounted for sli able movement on the vertical portions of sections 8 from `which extend headed pins 9 arranged in the slots formed in the sections 7 to liinit the upward movement of the arms 5 on their pivots 4. The sections 8 extend from the forward base 6 as clearly shown in Figure 2 of the drawings. By thistconstruction, it will be apparent that the arms 5 are capable of .movement in a vertical plane and can be moved upwardly a proximately to a forty-five degree ange with respect to the parallel portions 3 as shown in dotted lines in Figure 1 of the drawing.

As best shown in Figure 3 of the drawings, the arm 10 of the clamping member is substantially hollow and pivotally secured to said hollow portion is a pawl 13 havin a projection 14C extending from its pivote end and said projection is engaged by a leaf spring 15 which is secured to a shoulder 16 formed in the arm 10 and is adapted to normally retain the pawl 18 in a position to bridge the space between the arms 9 and 10j. Hingedly secured to the exterior surface of the circular portion 11 of the U-shaped member is one end, of a curved strap 17 of a locking means. The opposite end of the curved strap is recessed as at 18 to receive a keeper 19 extending from the clamping member so that a lock 20 of the shackle type can be positioned in the keeper and retain the strap operatively associated therewith as will be readily apparent.

From the above description and disclosure in the drawings, it will be obvious that when it is desired to transfer a bag of mail or any other articles from the ground to a moving airplane or the like, the transferred article is clamped to the clamping member 8 through the instrumentality of the strap 17 and its locking means 19 and 20, and the clamping member 8 is positioned in the channels 7 as best shown in Figure 3 of the drawings so that a cable 2l which has one end secured in the airplane can pass freely between the arms 9 and 10 thereof after being guided by the rails thereto. The cable is provided with a Weight 22 on its free end so that it-will be drawn by ravity as will be apparent and when the cab e is positioned in the opening 12, it cannot be casually removed therefrom due to the fact that the pawl 13 bridges the space between the arms 9 and 10 and the weight being of a size so that it cannot pass through the openin The further movement of the airplane wi l cause the weight to pull the clamping member together with'its bag, from the channel 7 and thence the clamping member and its bag can be drawn up into the plane by a windlass or other means (not shown).

cluding vslida ly related sections for supporting said arms, an article carrying means arranged in the channel portions and including a substantially U-shaped member having a substantially circular bight portion and parallel arms, one of said arms being hollow, said arms being adapted to be frictionally held in the channel portions, a spring pressed pawl normally positioned across the space between' the arms of the U-shaped member and pivotally secured in the hollow arm, a strip havin oneV end pivoted to the bight portion o said substantially U-shaped member and adapted to secure an article thereto, and said article carrying means being adapted to be removed by an aerial conveying means.

In witness whereof I affix .my signature.y

JOSEPH BROWN DAVIS. 

